#3B: Political Parties – Two Party Tradition, Third parties, & the future… “An Ass, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the Forest, and amused himself by frightening all the foolish Animals he met with in his wanderings."--Shakespeare or Bacon Thomas Nast 11/7/1874 “The Third Term Panic” New York Times New York Tribune New York World Fox=Dem Party OH/IN=geese Ostrich=RepParty

“Caught In A Trap—The Third-Term Hoax” (November 21, 1874) On November 3, the Democrats did win control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since before the Civil War “The Sacred Elephant” 3/8/1884

POLITICAL PARTIES Nothing about parties in the Constitution!!!!! Federalist #10 “divisiveness of factions” Madison warned us… Washington, “baneful effects of the spirit of the party” = While the Const was being written, fights broke out between federalists vs anti-federalists aka Jeffersonian Republicans/Democratic-Republicans = 1 st parties = IRONY

POLITICAL PARTIES History = 2 parties (AntiFed v Fed & UK) Single member districts = 2 parties (Electoral system – only ONE person can win per district, it’s NOT proportional!!!) Election laws = 2 parties (hard for 3 rd party to get on the ballot, different states mean different laws)

Stages of Party Development RISE OF THE PARTY GW & Hamilton (Sec of the Treasury) wanted a strong NAT’L govt = Federalists Jefferson (Sec of State) wanted states’ rights = AntiFederalists Led directly to the development of modern day parties aka FACTIONS

Stages of Party Development DEMOCRATIC DOMINATION Dem-Rep Jacksonian Dems WIN The Whigs tried… Party of the ‘common man’ Expand suffrage to ALL white males

Stages of Party Development REPUBLICAN DOMINATION * *electoral realignment in 1860 & 1932 (BIG DEAL!) Began as a 3 rd splinter party from the Whigs Former members of other parties Commercial & anti-slavery groups LINCOLN 1860 of course GOP = Grand Old Party Both Exec & Leg dominated

Stages of Party Development RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS *electoral realignment in 1860 & 1932 (big deal!) Great Depression FDR: African Amer, City workers, blue collar workers, Catholics, Jews, & women (FTW!!) = NEW DEAL COALITION 1994 GOP back in Congress

Stages of Party Development DIVIDED GOVERNMENT 1968-PRESENT Divided Govt ever since… Creates gridlock (traffic) GOP everywhere 2006 Dems take back Dems take all NOTHING Back & Forth, back & forth, back & forth

Elections in general…. ELECTORAL DEALIGNMENT When significant #s of voters no longer support a particular political party. Those voters indentify as independents and believe they owe no loyalty to any particular party ELECTORAL REALIGNMENT As voting patterns shift and new coalitions of party supporters form…the dominant party loses power and a new dominant party takes its place

MINOR PARTIES THIRD PARTIES… Provide reforms that get adopted by major parties ideological splinter single issue protest

POLITICAL PARTIES Highly decentralized POTUS = party leader natl convention natl committee natl chairperson congressional campaign committee state & local organization

What is SOFT MONEY????? Money that is distributed from the nat’l political party and does NOT have to be reported under FECA (71) – states esp 2002: restricted funds under BiCRA aka the McCain-Feingold Act 2010: Citizens United v FEC, Supreme Court reversed it…CORPORATE PERSONHOOD And we OCCUPY WALL STREET : /

POLITICAL PARTIES Why are they in decline? third-party challenges loss of support by party loyalists increase in split-ticket voting lack of perceived differences b/t the parties party reforms methods of campaigning, meaning you don’t really need the party’s help anymore…you can go straight to the voters via social networks!!